This study presents an overview of the latest genome editing techniques applied to sugar crops such as sugarcane, sugar beet, and sweet sorghum, providing perceptions on the potential of CRISPR/Cas tools to improve traits such as tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses and increase yield. These innovations aim to enhance sugar crops' sustainability and economic viability, ensuring their continued relevance in the context of renewable energy and climate change mitigation. It also discusses the importance of the model plant Setaria viridis in genome editing approaches, providing valuable insights for crop improvement. Additionally, the review highlights the crucial role of genome editing in providing technological solutions for the sugar sector.
Introduction Bis-octanoyl (R)-1,3-butanediol (BO-BD) is a novel, palatable ketone ester that, when consumed, is hydrolyzed in the gastrointestinal tract into octanoic acid (OCT) and (R)-1,3-butanediol (BDO) which are subsequently metabolized into beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB). Metabolism of BO-BD is hypothesized to be similar to bis-hexanoyl (R)-1,3-butanediol (BH-BD), apart from release of octanoic acid instead of hexanoic acid (HEX). Methods As part of the safety assessment for BO-BD a randomized, cross-over, open-label study in middle-aged, healthy adults ( n = 12) was undertaken to provide a qualitative comparison of plasma BHB, OCT, HEX and BDO concentrations for 8 h following consumption of 12.5 or 25 g of BO-BD and 12.5 g of BH-BD. Results All study products increased plasma BHB and BDO up to 4 h post-consumption. BH-BD increased HEX, whereas BO-BD increased OCT. All kinetic parameters for BHB and BDO were similar between 12.5 g servings of BH-BD and BO-BD while C max and AUC for OCT were higher following 12. 5 g servings of BO-BD as compared to HEX with 12.5 g of BH-BD. All metabolites returned to baseline by 8 h post-consumption. BHB, BDO and OCT C max and AUC were increased with serving size of BO-BD from 12.5 to 25 g. Sensory acceptability scores of BO-BD were significantly higher than for BH-BD. An in vitro hydrolysis experiment using human blood plasma further confirmed that plasma esterases possess the ability to break down the novel ketone esters into BDO, and OCT or HEX. Discussion The two novel ketone ester molecules exhibit similar metabolic breakdown to BHB and BDO and result in transiently higher concentrations of the plasma fatty acids, OCT and HEX, in vivo. Conclusions Given the similar ketone delivery with greater acceptability, BO-BD may offer a more broadly translatable tool to induce physiologic ketosis than BH-BD.
The present study aimed to identify the relationship between lignin content in soybean pods, pod dehiscence rate, gene expression from phenylpropanoid pathway, cell wall lignification, and deterioration of seed due to weather. To evaluate the weathering deterioration, an experiment simulating 150 mm of rainfall was performed in greenhouse conditions. Gene expression was assessed by RT-qPCR. Results showed that soybean cultivars BRS Jiripoca and BRS 388 RR considered tolerant to weathering deterioration, presented higher levels of lignin content in pods. The data showed that dehiscence rate was neither a trait involved in weathering deterioration tolerance nor in lignin content in soybean pods. Lignin content and weathering deterioration were highly negatively correlated, probably due to changes in cell wall permeability to water accordingly to lignin level. Higher expression levels of genes involved in lignin biosynthesis and cell wall lignification were identified in both tolerant cultivars, however, with opposite expression profiles and in different developmental phases, suggesting a possible temporal strategy to cope with environmental adverse conditions.
Cancer-related emergency department (ED) visits often result in higher hospital admission rates than non-cancer visits. It has been estimated many of these costly hospital admissions can be prevented, yet urgent care clinics and EDs lack cancer-specific care resources to support the needs of this complex population. Implementing effective approaches across different care settings and populations to minimize ED and urgent care visits improves oncologic complication management, and coordinating follow-up care will be particularly important as the population of cancer patients and survivors continues to increase. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the Office of Emergency Care (OECR) convened a workshop in December 2021, “Cancer-related Emergency and Urgent Care: Prevention, Management, and Care Coordination” to highlight progress, knowledge gaps, and research opportunities. This report describes the current landscape of cancer-related urgent and emergency care and includes research recommendations from workshop participants to decrease the risk of oncologic complications, improve their management, and enhance coordination of care. Since 2014, NCI and OECR have collaborated to support research in cancer-related emergency care. Workshop participants recommended a number of promising research opportunities, as well as key considerations for designing and conducting research in this area. Opportunities included better characterizing unscheduled care services, identifying those at higher risk for such care, developing care delivery models to minimize unplanned events and enhance their care, recognizing cancer prevention and screening opportunities in the ED, improving management of specific cancer-related presentations, and conducting goals of care conversations. Significant progress has been made over the past 7 years with the creation of the Comprehensive Oncologic Emergency Research Network, broad involvement of the emergency medicine and oncology communities, establishing a proof-of-concept observational study, and NCI and OECR’s efforts to support this area of research. However, critical gaps remain.
